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John Bythell

Professor of Coral Reef Biology, Newcastle University
Coral reef ecology is at the forefront of national and international media attention because of the serious threats to these ecosystems from global climate change, disease and over-exploitation. As long ago as 1998, a global sea surface temperature event is estimated to have killed 17% of the corals of the world. Regional mass bleaching events are now common occurrences, often followed by disease outbreaks. My recent research has addressed two main foci in the study of coral health and disease: 1) the development of a culture-independent molecular microbial ecology approach to the study of emergent diseases in reef corals, and 2) The cellular and molecular responses of reef corals to infection and environmental stress, most recently in relation to cell death pathways and mucus secretion dynamics. The next phase of this research is to combine the molecular and cellular host coral stress responses with experimental manipulation of microbial exposure and environmental stress. As genomic information becomes available for corals and related lower invertebrates, post-genomic and proteomic approaches to stress and disease analysis have also become possible.

From 2012-2015 I held the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & International) at the University of the South Pacific, based in Fiji. The small island states of the south Pacific are at the forefront of global climate change impacts. Prior to that, I was a member of an international ‘Coral Reef Targeted Research’ programme investigating coral bleaching (http://www.gefcoral.org/) and more recently acted on the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association programme committee (http://www.wiomsa.org/). I am particularly concerned about raising awareness of the dramatic impacts of climate change in tropical coastal ecosystems (see video article at: http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=5779).

3D printing coral reefs can create new habitat – but it doesn't tackle human destruction

Oct 09, 2018 13:04 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature Technology

Coral reefs are vanishing from the worlds oceans. At least three quarters of these tropical marine habitats are severely threatened globally and in 2016 alone, the Great Barrier Reef lost up to 30% of its coral cover. But...

Economy

The US is one of the least trade-oriented countries in the world – despite laying the groundwork for today’s globalized system

Given the spate of news about international trade lately, Americans might be surprised to learn that the U.S. isnt very dependent on it. Indeed, looking at trade as a percentage of gross domestic product a metric...

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget

With Jim Chalmerss third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief beyond the tax cuts although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As this weeks consumer price...

Inflation is slowly falling, while student debt is climbing: 6 graphs that explain today’s CPI

Australias inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and its now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. The annual rate peaked at 7.8% in the December quarter of 2022 and is now just 3.6%, in...

Politics

US Urges China, Russia to Reject AI Control in Nuclear Arms, Align with Global Norms

Paul Dean, a senior U.S. arms control official, emphasized the critical need for China and Russia to join the U.S. in declaring that humans will always decide on the deployment of nuclear weapons, not artificial...

South Africa’s youth are a generation lost under democracy – study

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently painted a rosy picture in which the countrys youth democracys children had enormous opportunities for advancement, all thanks to successive post-apartheid governments led...

Sadiq Khan on track for third term as London mayor – but nearly half of Londoners dissatisfied with performance

Polls have consistently shown that the incumbent mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appears to be on track to win a third term in office at the upcoming mayoral elections on May 2. One poll we commissioned as part of our...

Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’

Most American workers are hired at will: Employers owe their employees nothing in the relationship except earned wages, and employees are at liberty to quit at their option. As the rule is generally stated, either party...

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

Science

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Technology

Shiba Inu Dead Cat Bounce: Price Rebound or Bearish Omen?

Investors in the cryptocurrency world are eyeing Shiba Inu (SHIB) with cautious optimism as the meme coin shows signs of a potential dead cat bounce, a dubious reversal often seen in volatile markets. With SHIB struggling...

PEPE Price Surges 7% Amid 4 Trillion Pepe Coin Accumulation by Whale

A monumental 4 trillion Pepe coin accumulation by a crypto whale on May 3 has sparked a significant 7% surge in PEPEs price. This surge, observed amid bullish market sentiments, follows a week of price consolidation,...

Hyundai Motor Scales Up Hydrogen EV Truck Business in the US

Hyundai Motor Company is expanding its hydrogen EV truck operations in the United States to take the lead in this line of business in the region. As part of the initiative, South Korean vehicle manufacturers are offering...

Kakao Enhances AI Focus, Merges Kakao Brain Into Core Operations

South Koreas Kakao Corporation finally decided to absorb Kakao Brains AI unit. The tech and internet giant is taking over its AI research and development (RD) business, which will include all of the departments staff and...

Shiba Inu (SHIB) Team Insider Unravels Key Burn Mystery: Exclusive Details

In a revealing discussion, Lucie, a member of the Shiba Inu team, sheds light on the enigmatic key burns orchestrated by the projects founder, Ryoshi. Lucies insights, shared in response to community inquiries, clarify...